Have Wings, Will Fly
by See the Mutt
Summary: Set postSerenity, we find our heroes in need of a vacation. As the usual case, things begin to not go smooth as soon as River has visions of a captive boy of the infamous Academy.
1. Still Flyin'

Have Wings, Will Fly

Chapter One: Still Flyin'

Unfortunately, I do not own these characters. I just like to play with 'em.

The ship Serenity sailed peacefully tonight, or the crew's equivalent of a "night" while aboard a space-bound vessel. Mal, Simon, Jayne, Inara, and Kaylee were not making a sound as they slumbered. In the infirmary, Zoe had fallen asleep upon her husband's chest while he entered a deep sleep, her dark tresses covering his numerous bandages on his waist and legs. A small plastic dinosaur was carefully tucked in the thin sheets beside Wash's sleeping face; it's plastic, toothy grin making Wash himself smile while he slept.

Two black combat boots were propped up on the consol in the cockpit; the light from the dashboard surrounded the room in a calming blue aura. The owner of said boots, however, was asleep; her head leaned back slightly, and her mouth open, vulnerable to bug-swallowing had they been anywhere else but in deep space. In her slender hands was a small leather-bound book that was left open to a page now resting on her floral-covered belly. She was snoring gently. Since Miranda, River had been able to recover herself to an extent. Sure, she had secrets. More than anyone should have to bear, but for now, she could rest with relative ease. She seemed to be more coherent in regular conversations with the rest of the crew, and her fits had subsided. Jayne, however, still skirted around the girl when it came to being only him and River in the same room. He had seen what she had done to the Reavers that fateful day, and as much as it made him thankful, it scared the _go-se_ out of him. He still wasn't sure what to make of it, as most things usually feel like to Jayne.

Wash had been presumed dead when they had left him pinned to his chair in the cockpit. True, he had entered a severe state of shock, but the wound wasn't fatal, thanks to Simon and the team of Alliance doctors. The spear had missed his spine by inches, leaving him with a rather nasty belly wound. He was to be bed-bound for many weeks, if not months in his weak condition. So, River had taken the position of pilot. Mal even thought her skills could rival Wash's, though he'd still prefer a mentally stable being at his beloved's cockpit. River was more than capable for the job. She loved finally being an asset to the crew, instead of the wilting flower in the corner.

Mal had only taken minor, semi-legal jobs the past few weeks after the ordeal on Miranda. He figured the crew was pretty shaken and needed a rest. The rations the Operative had given them could very well last the rest of the year, so they needn't worry about spending any more than necessary. The rest of the 'verse, however, was in the middle of discerning the chaos that ensued after the airing of the Miranda vid. The Alliance had made many official announcements condemning "Browncoat hoaxers". The Alliance had amped up their search for River, as their first and foremost Operative had failed them. It wasn't as if he was entirely indispensable for the Alliance, anyway. They have control of the 'verse, and have many capable men waiting in the wings for the opportunity to capture their elusive genius. The Operative, though, had managed to clear any evidence surrounding River's affiliation with Serenity, so she still is of now at fugitive status.

Tonight was unlike the past few nights, however. They seemed to be nights similar to those of River's worse days. Tonight her dream was frightful, but different from the torture sessions she usually flashbacked to. This particular dream focused around a young man, sitting in a bright room filled with all sorts of horrendous equipment. He was fastened tightly to the chair, and various men were circling him, taking notes, flicking switches, adjusting the boy's glowing helmet. The faces of the men were blurry, but the face of the boy's was as if River were standing inches away from him. He was quite handsome. A flash, and River saw him smiling, shaking hands with blue ones. A flash again, and River saw how different his face was from moments before. His eyes now, were locked with a look of utmost fear. To his right there was a brain scanner; the different lobes alight as they matched his thoughts. The lobes on the scanner began to glow ominously as the boy emitted a bloodcurdling scream.

River woke, screaming, and fell out of the pilot's chair. Her hands groped for something, anything, to make River believe she was still there, and not some disembodies spirit. River had managed to pound her fist on the emergency button on the consol, thus sending a blaring red alarm throughout the entire ship. She hadn't meant for it to happen. Within seconds, the members of the crew -in various states of undress- came running towards the cockpit and their fallen pilot. Simon had been the first, of course. He placed a soothing hand on River's forehead where she had hit it falling to the deck. A small trickle of blood escaped and ran down his hand, hurting him more than her. He saw the deafening fear in her eyes as she tried to compose herself.

"Mei mei, what's the matter?" He whispered, brushing stray strands of hair from her damp face. Inara moved towards River, but Mal placed a firm hand on her shoulder. She looked at him, understanding.

"I saw. Shouldn't have. Never have before. Face…" Her eyes glazed for a second as she remembered the boy's face, contorted. "They've got him!" She suddenly yelled, "And they've got no gorram right! He's not meant for this…" She began to sob into Simon's shoulders. For several minutes, the crew was silent.

"Who, mei mei? Who have they got?"

"I-I don't know," she stammered, her tears subsiding. "But he's in trouble." She peered up at him, concern filling her eyes. She closed them slowly and turned to the crew hovering in the doorway. It was then that everyone realized that little Kaylee was curiously dressed in nothing but a bed sheet. Jayne smirked, causing the mechanic to blush profusely.

"Well, ah, if River is okay'n all…you are, right, honey?" River nodded. "Then I'd best be getting' off to…yeah." And with that, Kaylee quietly excused herself, pointing her nose in the air as she adjusted the top of the sheet as she passed by Jayne.

"Well, folks, best we be on with our restin'. 'Specially you, little Albatross. Be many more hours till we reach Londinium. We need you to get us into atmo safely this time, Okay?" He thought back to the previous week, when River had landed them on Sihnon, attempting some daredevil piloting maneuver called "The Drop and Stop" Wash had "recommended" she practice at. More like the Dive and Die, as Mal had nicknamed the pointlessly reckless maneuver. Wash, of course, didn't mean practicing it in the middle of a high-trafficked area full to bursting of docking and already docked ships. Mal'd soon rather forget that little incident. "And a man's gotta have his rest before being forced to deal with the likes of them fancy folk." He shot a playful look towards Inara, the main reason they were hitting Londinium. They had actually planned a bit of a vacation in civilized places like museums, and, well, Mal had preferred not to drone on about culture unless he wanted to fall asleep. All he wanted was a little r and r. Wash was to enter a hospital for a checkup while the others checked in to a local hotel. Inara had a client lined up, and a few more that she was still considering. The crew was quite looking forward to it, especially River. She wanted to go to the beach and walk barefoot in the sand. She longed to feel the water on her skin, the sea breeze through her dark hair. She, of course, would have to lie low, check in under another name, and stay away from crowded areas. She didn't mind, though, as she always seemed crowded no matter where she went. River slowly stood up with the help of Simon, and was guided back to her bunk. The rest of the crew sleepily ambled off to their respective bunks, muttering "'night"s to each other.

"So, Doc, you got yerself some trimmin' done tonight? And I don't mean no docterin' neither." He gave Simon a nasty grin, earning him a look of disgust from Simon. As suspected, though, Simon did not step into his own room across from River's. He clicked the hatch to Kaylee's and slid down.

"Knew it." Jayne grunted as he trudged into his own bunk. Inara walked by, slapping him on the shoulder. "Be nice." She said, before sweeping off to her shuttle. Mal closed his eyes and shook his head. _'Bout time him'n Kaylee…yuck. Not even gonna go there._

River smiled underneath her sheets. Mal couldn't read minds, but she surely could. And there were nothing but pleasant ones tonight.

Meanwhile, in the infirmary:

"Hello? Would someone PLEASE care to tell me what in the gorram _guay_ is going on? HELLO?"

End chapter 1.


	2. Turbulence

Have Wings, Will Fly

Chapter 2: Turbulence

Hey all, here's another chapter! I wrote these in December (chapters 1-6) and am still working on chapter seven. I just have no time! Augh! It'll be up soon. I'll probably post it first on first, so be on the lookout!

* * *

The next morning River woke before the rest of the crew and dressed in one of her favorite multi-blue patterned dresses. For saving their lives, the least Mal could do for River was buy her some clothes that actually fit her. She didn't bother putting on her boots, though. She slipped into the pilot seat and began to ready the ship for landing on Londinium. Flipping three switches, she began a slow descent into the planet's orbit. She then clicked the comm.:

"This is your pilot speaking. We will begin decent on Londinium in 32 minutes. Don't wear that vest, Simon."

She giggled to herself_. And now, we wait. _River picked up the small leather-bound book and opened to the page she had it on last night. Ever since Shepherd Book died on Haven, River had taken to reading his old Bible, occasionally writing in it, but never crossing anything out. She felt that she at least owed that to him. Every once in awhile, River would feel a chill run down her spine, and swear it was Book's presence. But it was brief, and she soon had forgotten why she suddenly felt so old and wise. She missed him, but never mourned for him. He certainly was not in a special hell, and that brought comfort to her.

Simon, after hearing River's wake-up call, groaned and rolled over. He placed his arm around Kaylee, gently stroking her shoulder as she continued to sleep soundly. They enjoyed being close to each other, being alive. Simon tried in vain to escape the covers without disturbing Kaylee. He blew gently into her ear, which gained a painful slap on the cheek as she startled awake.

"Dammit, Simon! You know I'm ticklish! Sorry for the slap."

"Uh-huh," Simon said, rubbing his cheek. "Better get you dressed, we'll be landing soon."

Kaylee began putting on one of her cute florally dresses. It was Simon's favorite, stopping mid-thigh. She paused, noticing his stare. He had on her favorite lopsided smirk, affectionate and mischievous.

"You know, Kaylee, when we land, we'll be checking in to the Willow Point Hotel. Hot tubs, spas…." She smiled as he pulled her in for a quick kiss. He turned to the chair with his clothes laid out for today and picked up his embroidered maroon vest. As he was about to put it on, he noticed that every other button was missing. He chuckled and showed it to Kaylee, who burst out laughing.

"Well, Doc, I never really liked that color on ya."

* * *

Mal made his way to the deck and into the copilot seat next to River. He noticed she was piloting with one hand, while fiddling with a few coat buttons in the other, flipping them onto the viewscreen showing them the layout of the ground below and the possible landing spots. One button landed on the outline of a building, the other in the center of a bustling marketplace…

"Sure you know where to land, little one?" He asked tentatively.

"That crowded pavilion looks shiny to me."

Mal jumped and gripped the armrests, turning to River with a look of pure horror. "Now hold on, there…!"

River emitted a devilish snicker. "Easy mark."

The captain relaxed and strapped himself in. Just in case.

River had decided, that in order to keep a low profile, they'd land Serenity on the coast behind a large rock formation. That way, the crew could take the mule to the hotel and the hospital, and River would have her time on the beach. The descent was smooth and controlled, though there were brief moments of turbulence and Mal wondered if she knew exactly what she was doing, or just winging it. River "heard" this. She muttered, "Winging it."

Mal turned slowly to his moonbrained little pilot and breathed heavily out his nose as they touched down. He often wondered how much longer he could stand her flying.

"Local time is 7:46 in the a.m. Sun's just risen," She pointed through the screen of the cockpit. The sun gave the gorgeous beach a shining glow as it slowly rose.

The crew took off in the mule, Wash strapped in lying down, his head in Zoe's lap. Marina was true oceanfront view, quite similar to ones of the Mediterranean of the Earth That Was. The buildings were a soft white, mixed with warm tans, blues, greens, and yellows. They had that relaxed, airy feel to them, yet looked aged and perfect at the same time. They were magnificent. The city was definitely not the largest on Londinium, but bustling all the same. It was the most popular vacationing spot this side of the 'verse. Culture was alive and everywhere. River had become overwhelmed with excitement and adventure when they passed over the city's main pavilion. Stories, shops, history, warmth, action; she immediately fell in love with Marina just by gleaning from the tips of stranger's minds.

Simon told River he'd be back in an hour so he, River, and Kaylee could enjoy the beach. Inara had left for her first appointment. It still pained Mal every time he watched that shuttle of hers take off. Detaching itself from Serenity, he felt had detached a piece of him with it. He always shook it off, though, thankful that he at least had an amygdal-whatty that allowed him to push emotions to the back of his brainpan. He parked the mule outside the Willow Point Hotel, and stepped back to admire its beauty. Elegant and spacious, it reminded him of a draping tree. A willow. Huh.

River took advantage of her time alone by walking along the seashore, picking up shells and letting the cold water seep around her bare feet as they sunk into the sand. For once, her mind was clear, and she wanted to keep it that way. The ocean was complicated, but compared to River it was a vision of tranquility. In her open state of mind, she let other feelings seep in unknowingly. Glances of passerbys miles away, thinking about breakfast, or showers. She enjoyed the simplicity of the thoughts. She stooped down to admire a starfish, and gently prodded it. _Its mind is almost as clear as mine right now._ She relished in the thought.

After almost an hour, Simon and Kaylee appeared and walked toward River, hand in hand.

"Enjoying yourself, mei mei?" Simon asked.

Immensely, she thought. "Yes," she answered. For a moment, they just looked out at the sea, and watched the sun glitter off the surface. 

Without so much as a warning, River was overcome by a massive tidal wave of emotion. Everywhere. A single voice, clear as day. Calling her name, asking for help. She saw him, the boy from last night. She could only see his face, and she almost wished she hadn't, it had so much terror. He was calling to her. Her, directly, surrounded by words like "help…not supposed to…scared…need…Garcia."

River reeled on the spot and collapsed to the sand. Kaylee yelled and Simon rushed to her side yet again.

"River…what did you see?" Simon intuitively knew this wasn't a regular fit for River.

River stopped shaking. She needed to be coherent. She needed to get to the bottom of this before it was too late.

"Garcia. The boy…said his name, and mine. He needs me, Simon," With the last statement River turned her eyes to Simon and Kaylee, pleading.

Garcia. Simon knew him, all right. He was the single most helpful man in helping bust River out of the Academy. The Academy's exact location had remained a mystery as Simon was transported to it. He knew the planet, not the city. It was supposed to protect him and his sister in case he was to fail the mission and jeopardize the Underground movement formed to uncover Alliance injustices and experiments. At the time it had been a motley crew of old Browncoats, families with members in the academy, and mercs with nothing better to live for. Now, since the Miranda vids, the Underground had become a force to be reckoned with. Mr. Universe before his untimely death had insured them secret identities and made sure they would be able to slip around undetected by Alliance government men. Most of the time. No group is flawless, and many an optimistic soul had died trying to free family from the Academy. River had a vague sense of where she was when at the Academy. The letters said it was based on Londinium, the pinnacle of modern education and achievement. But the invasive surgery and behavioral conditioning made sure that the students knew only what they needed to know to keep the operation under wraps. The Alliance, however, had severely underestimated River's psychic abilities. In that room, she was able to uncover enough secrets to topple the basis of the Alliance completely. Just like that. The psychosis assured she would never be able to find all the secrets even if she wanted to, yet some always seemed to seep into her consciousness.

River struggled to get up, and ran towards the mule Simon and Kaylee had driven back.

"Get in," she commanded.

"River, I think maybe we should-" Kaylee began.

"Now." She revved up the engine, and made the mule jerk as if it were about to speed away. Getting their attention, Simon and Kaylee clambered in.

The trip back to the hotel was certainly no joyride. Simon uttered a quick prayer of thanks that he didn't get himself blown up or squished along the way. River really needed lessons.

They were able to round the crew up in about 20 minutes. They all seemed very perturbed, but when they saw the look on River's face -not the crazy-babbling-weirdo one, but the sane-concerned one- they knew. Inara was still doing her job, but they figured she could come to them with her shuttle.

The crew rushed aboard Serenity. Zoe ran to the cockpit and logged into the cortex, under Simon's orders. Mr. Universe, it seems, had been running much more than just a universal truth finder, but he had been one of the founders of the underground movement. In explicit instructions he had left them enough information to get into contact with key figures of the Underground. She let Simon take over, and after several tense minutes at staring at a fuzzy viewscreen, a face came into view. Garcia.

"Well, hello there, Simon. Mighty fine day today, isn't it? What brings you to me, again?"

_Simon has got some major explaining to do when this here conversation is over. I was just about to take my nap._ Mal thought bitterly. Jayne grunted in the corner. He was just about to get him some--

"I need your help. My sister is having visions about students at the Academy, and I think possibly this might be the lead you need to break out more." Simon knew this was risky. But River had explained on the ride to the hotel that this vision was clearer, made sense. She explained that she could help him, and it was her duty. This was the old River talking. Chivalry, duty…she had always been reading too many medieval novels from Earth That Was. Garcia perked up, typing furiously at his keyboard next to him. Unlike Simon, Garcia knew the exact location of the Academy. He knew the system, and his band of close partners had helped him with the technicalities of a high-security breakout.

River was slowly gleaning more trickles of information as she sat curled in the copilot seat. Rooms came into focus, wires, ceilings. Tunnels. That boy.

"Well, then, let's get started."

End Chapter 2


	3. Jailbreak

Have Wings, Will Fly

Chapter 3: Jailbreak

Wow, I cannot thank you all enough for the wonderful and encouraging comments. And now, some thrilling heroics!

* * *

"He's so scared…" River whispered in the copilot's seat as a fresh wave of emotion flooded her mind. She lingered on that thought while the crew continued to speak with Garcia. He suspected that the Academy had just brought in a new group of innocent young minds to play with. There were about 50 new students that were as of now in the process of being evaluated and sorted into "categories". It was easy to see that River had been sorted into one of the most secretive categories: assassin. It pained Simon that they could look at a bright, beautiful, young and gifted fourteen-year-old child and think 'She's going to be wonderful for killing someday.' A child. Someone's daughter, someone's sister. He just didn't think that people could have such disregard for life. That is, before he left Osiris.

The crew had been discussing the plan for such a long time. Code names, ID's, passageways, rooms, the works. It seemed complicated and dangerous to be trying to bust out someone they had never even seen before, especially someone only seen through the eyes of a crazy girl. But River's conviction was unwavering. She had seen him in the early stages of processing at that place, and knew it wasn't too late.

River stared at the viewscreen without actually looking at it, and then it came to her. A name. A name for the face that haunted her dreams, even when she stood.

"Arden."

"Who?" Mal asked, startled a bit by her sudden urge to speak after being silent for two hours.

"Eagle. He's a flyer. Cage is in the dirt, though. They buried him, along with their hands."

"If'n yer ta ask me, that there ocean just made her extra fong luh."

"Well, Jayne, if we were to ask you about anything, we'd be eating niou-fun by now." That was from Wash. He had his bed rolled out onto the deck and was propped up with a pillow. He really hated missing out on all the action.

River turned to Jayne and gave him an icy stare. Those always made him shut up. Or run away. It was always a toss-up.

"I can get my ship to you tonight. Are you sure you want to go through with this, Simon? I mean, I've been trying to dig up the Academy for ages, and, well, rescuing River wasn't exactly easy." Garcia's face was kind. He looked older than he was, about mid 40's but with an air of an old man. He had seen a lot while being part of the resistance. "The again, I always love a good challenge."

* * *

Later that night Garcia's ship settled on the shore of Marina. It was a small vessel, but perfect for quick getaways. Simon recognized it, and so had River. The crew boarded, but Wash had to be left behind. Kaylee stayed with him, as Mal had preferred she not get involved in case of violence. Inara had been contacted and was to stay with Kaylee as well as soon as she arrived back to Serenity.

Simon didn't want River to go, but he knew she would know more than any of them about this boy, so she was completely necessary.

Garcia's partners resembled the ragtag team of Serenity herself. There was the brave captain Garcia, the first mate Duke Conrad, the merc Red Carlisle, the mechanic Rick Porter, and the pilot Valentina, Garcia's sister. Quite the local color, Mal thought.

"So, whereabouts we headed, Garcia?" Mal questioned as they took off.

"Well, Mal, if I was to tell ya, I'd hafta kill ya." He turned and half-smiled at him. "Can't be givin' all the secrets around here, but I'll tell ya it's in some Godforsaken city called Achilles on this gorram planet."

"Tunnels." River pointed as their ship neared a set of glimmering lights in the distance. It was nighttime as they sailed towards the city of Achilles. It was an ugly city quite different from Marina, that was certain. It had the grimy, dark look of a place that had obviously seen better, brighter days. Too much technology in a small space that had lost its luster. Just the average scummy Core city, now. It was oddly apart from the other cities on Londinium, miles away from the nearest one. Not much vegetation to speak of. Why anyone would want to live there was a question left unanswered.

"Well, she certainly is a little genius, Doc. What we know for certain is that this is the place where the Alliance begins prepping their next victims before being shipped of to the main hell-house where they do their dirty work. Achilles is not where we found your sister. That place I cannot reveal, and don't much wish to. It was a nightmare. But yes, this place is buried deep underground. Like a gorram maze." Garcia sounded bitter.

The plan was set as they landed on the outskirts of the city. The prepping facility was a heavily guarded area, but not so much near the entrance. The Alliance had wanted to put up a front where unsuspecting students were lured in. It looked like a regular school on the top, and possibly the only place in the entire city with a fully lush campus. A diamond in the desert, the campus was pristine and healthy-looking. Traffic usually came and went among the campus, mainly officials of the government and prospective students. It was night, though, so it looked eerily deserted. The holding chambers for the newly selected students were deep underground. It was designed like a very high-tech prison, where the students would be forced to wait as they performed a series of basic tests and scans to determine their "category". Mal, Zoe, and Simon were to be posing as administrators checking in on the students in their holding cells. Garcia, Duke, Jayne, and Red were in stealth, breaking into the security system and disabling the vid cams for approximately 20 minutes –enough time for them to break out this mysterious Arden and escape. River was dressed in the garb of a student, which meant she had to wear regular shoes. She giggled to herself at the thought of Jayne being "stealthy-like". It was times like those when she almost enjoyed reading minds. Almost.

Time was short, and they moved quickly. After tapping the system and disabling the cameras, Garcia pulled out his comm. and whispered into it:

"_She's blind, now. Click the cage and go_."

Mal and the others moved quickly. Zoe had her hands on River's arm, gripping it tight. She was to appear as if returning River to her cell. The tunnels were numerous underneath the school. They passed by many doors without windows, and sometimes heard faint yells and whispers around every corner. It made Zoe shiver, thinking about River.

"Honey, we need you to find this boy. Just him. We don't have time for any other."

River's mind searched the tunnels and rooms. She saw hundreds upon hundreds of chambers with kids holed up in them. Some were older, and some were too young. A particular 13-year old girl held River's attention for a while as she mentally searched. She was alone in her sparse room, cradling a small doll. She was crying, wondering why her parents sent her away to this awful place. River knew it was the same way for her. She hadn't been in this particular facility, though. The place she went to was picturesque and beautiful on the outside. Her parents sent her there because she wanted to go and learn and become successful. This girl was there because she wanted to learn, too. River blanched, overcome by pain, and made a quick promise to return. She hated to think what would become of her otherwise. Perhaps she would become a shell of a girl like River herself, or much, much worse. River shook this image from her mind. Not a shell.

Most of the students were much older, about River's age. Quickly, she found his mind. It was open, pleading, and frightened. His was clearer than the others. She felt him a hundred yards down the long stretch of hallway. She tugged at Zoe and pointed, whispering,

"Found you."

Mal got the hint and began to move slowly towards the T-shaped intersection where River was pointing. Simon glanced around; there was no one to be seen, which gave him a false sense of security.

They soon heard footsteps. Heavy, and closing in, fast.

"_Gorrammit, Mal, where the hell are ya? You gots five minutes 'fore the feds see_!" Jayne whispered into his comm. Mal could have sworn he heard Duke in the background whispering "_Use code, you stupid hwoon dahn_!"

"Can't talk" Mal clicked off the comm. and tried to walk calmly, motioning for the others to follow. Behind a corner, a surly official pushed a young man down the hallway. They flattened themselves against the wall, but River began to strain against Zoe's grip.

"Get movin'. I don't have all rutting day here, you know. Got other…_students_ to teach," his voice was cruel and eyes even crueler. He leered and gave the boy another shove and began punching a keypad to the boy's cell.

"Arden," River repeated. Simon knew it must have been him, too, with River's rough description. The boy began to struggle to no avail against the guard. The man was enormous, and the boy, well, wasn't. He was tall and strapping, yes, but dwarfed by the man he had just tried to elbow in the nose. The guard punched him hard in the stomach, doubling him over. As the door swished open, River twisted away from Zoe, and ran to the boy.

"What the-" Before the guard could make a move River pulled a gun on him and cocked it. Zoe, bewildered, patted herself, checking for her gun.

"Well, I'll be a jien hwo." she muttered.

The guard held up his hands. "Now just calm down there, missy. How the hell did you get…" But the guard never finished his sentence, as River had backhanded him savagely with the gun and promptly shot him in both his legs. He certainly wouldn't be following them. River turned to the boy and kneeled down, placing her hand on his forehead. He looked into her eyes for a brief second, before alarmingly looking at the ceiling. Klaxon sirens were sounding throughout the entire passageway, red and loud.

"Time to go!" Mal grabbed River and helped her pull Arden up. They raced down the long tunnel they came before. Gunshots could be heard in the distance, and Mal knew that their security cover was shot. They were ruttin' sittin' ducks. River sensed them before they came, men in blue uniforms carrying the same guns. She pushed Simon to the side and shot two on the spot from a stairwell on their left Mal had missed in their fleeing. From another hallway to their right –they all looked the same- came Jayne and the other men. Red had been shot in the arm, and Jayne was cradling a wrist. The others looked a little worse for wear, apparently in another firefight.

The crew stampeded down the hallway Garcia was pointing to. It had a narrow passageway leading to the surface, and the only way was up. "Valentina, we need you!" he yelled into his comm. "One step ahead of you, little brother." As Red blasted the grate to the shaft, a platform suspended by steel rods dropped down. They would have to go in shifts, as the platform would only hold a few at a time. Simon pushed River, the boy, and them himself aboard. Mal and the men fanned out, guns raised, pointing in either direction and guarding their getaways. As they ascended, Simon heard some muffled shouts and gunshots. After two more agonizing shifts onto the platform, the crew was safely aboard their getaway ship.

"I'm sorry bro, we held the screen up as long as possible, but they've tagged us. We gotta run." Valentina punched the consol and drove the ship straight up, sending the unbuckled crew flying to the back of the aircraft.

"We got him? Hah! Take that you Alliance bastards!" Rick shouted, eagerly shaking hands with Mal's crew, and cuffing his own men on the shoulders.

"You know, we have a rather cute, chipper mechanic that I think you might like, Rick…" Mal teased, throwing an innocent _what?_ look at Simon. Simon rolled his eyes and turned towards River and Arden. She was wrapping up some of his minor cuts and bruises. Arden had quickly passed out in River's arms as soon as they tossed him into the ship.

* * *

Garcia's ship touched down next to Serenity. Inara and Kaylee rushed out to meet them, kicking up sand. Simon rushed to Kaylee and pulled her into a tight hug. He then parted from her and rushed Jayne and Red into the ship to tend to the gunshot wound and the sprained wrist. Zoe and the men assisted River as they carefully brought the boy into Serenity. They laid him down in the infirmary at first, but River insisted he be placed in the spare bunk. Waking up in a sterile infirmary was the last thing he would want.

Mal and Garcia watched as the events unfolded, while their crews scurried around assisting one another.

"Well, friend, I'm glad we could be of service. That boy is just one of the many we've helped bust outta that place. It wasn't as bad as where River went to, though." Garcia shuddered.

"Look, if there's anything we can do for your crew, anything at all--"

"Well," he laughed, "We could use with a decent meal. Alls we got on this luh suh heap is dried out protein and maybe a few o' them space bugs."

Mal grinned. "Well, our good friend Mr. Operative made sure we got all the prime eatin' right here. I'll get Kaylee."

Later, the crew bid farewell to Garcia and his friends.

* * *

"You know Cap'n, he did us quite some favor. Some great folks just do things like that without askin' nothin' in return. He's quite a hero." Kaylee sighed and wiped down another dish and turned to face her captain, who was elbow deep in soapy water, cleaning after both crews made a hell of a mess in the kitchen. They figured they'd let the boy sleep for now while the crew settled down after a painfully long night. It was nearing midnight as Kaylee and Mal finished cleaning and bid each other good night. Mal poked his head into the cockpit. After their little jailbreak, the crew decided it was better they get off Londinium sooner rather than later. They couldn't afford any detection from the feds, who by now had them marked, again. The city of Marina, however, was beckoning for them to stay in all her seaside glory. It made River sad to think they'd be leaving in the morning.

"Hey, how are we doing tonight, little albatross? Shouldn't you be sleepin' now?"

Her head was resting between her knees as she sat curled in the pilot's seat, absentmindedly playing with Wash's stegosaurus. She placed it on her nose.

"Can't. Too much to think about."

"I reckon you've done enough thinking in the past day for all of us. When we get off this rock, I promise we'll find a place to relax. Newhall has a mighty fine coastline we could explore. Nice city called Delmar sits real pretty next to the ocean. Would you like that?"

River looked up from her sulking and gave Mal a dazzling smile. On any other occasions he would have been terrified. She usually only gave him smiles like that when she was about to, or had just finished doing something like hiding everyone's socks in the pots and pans and forbidding them to cook until they danced on the table barefoot with her. They had grudgingly given in to the dancing, and tossed out the cooking pot that had Jayne's socks stuffed in them afterwards. Jayne stopped speaking to Mal for a week, and the crew had nicknamed him "Fancy Feet" for the smell…and the dancing, too.

Now, though, her smile was sincere.

"Of the sea," she chirped, before jumping of and giving Mal a quick peck on the cheek.

"I'll take that as a 'yes', then."

* * *

Meanwhile, Wash had other things on his mind:

"Hey! Where's Steggy!"

End chapter 3.

* * *

Translations:

Fong luh: loopy in the head

Niou-fun: cow poop

Jien hwo: cheap floozy

Hwoon dahn: bastard

Luh suh: crap


	4. Wakeup

Have Wings, Will Fly

Chapter 4: Wakeup

Here's the next chapter! A little is revealed about Arden. More to come, you'll see! Thank you all sooo much for the input and comments. They make me smile. A lot.

* * *

Enjoy!

River had some difficulty waking up the next morning to prepare Serenity for her next flight. Her thoughts trailed to that of the newfound Arden. He was down the hall sleeping a hard and dreamless sleep. The crew decided they would have a Simon-style explanation the following morning after takeoff.

River, knowing that the captain was about to yell at her any minute for not having the ship ready, climbed out of her bunk. She stopped and peeked into the guest room. Arden was on his side. His hair was a light, almost sandy brown. River, being the tactile person she is, wanted nothing more than to run her hands through it. Deciding he looked peaceful enough, River slipped the door shut.

She sat in the cockpit and flipped the three overhead switches. River glanced forlornly out of the window to admire Marina's coastline in the early dawn. The sun was just a faint pink-orange glimmer on the horizon.

"This is your pilot speaking. Buckle up and prepare for takeoff. I know it's early, but the sooner the better. My breakfast should be ready by the time we get out of atmo. Unless you want another dance lesson."

* * *

Mal awoke with a grudging groan.

"That girl has a lot to learn about how orders are given on this boat," he pulled on his trousers and shoved his feet into his boots. "That 'how' would be me!" Mal walked down the bridge, ramming on everyone's doors yelling, "Wake up, sleepyheads. We got us some items need tendin' to after take--"

Mal didn't have to finish his sentence. River had set Serenity flying sooner than he had expected, sending him and the rest of the half-awake and half-dressed crew hurling around their cabins. Mal hit the deck hard and tasted blood. _Gorrammit._ He slowly picked himself up and made his way to the cockpit.

"Now, little one, there's no need for more of your spectacular flyin' showcases today. We just want to get to Newhall in one piece, dong ma?"

"I'm sorry, sir. It cannot be helped sometimes." She looked up at him.

Mal initially thought that she was being sarcastic. Not helping herself sometimes was a severe understatement when it came to her and her flying. This time she looked sincerely sorry, and Mal cursed himself for thinking otherwise. He placed a hand gently on the top of her head.

"'Sokay. It's certainly a better wakeup call than I could ever give." Mal sat down in the copilot seat, strapped in, and watched outside the window as they breached atmo. It was always a beautiful sight as the clouds whipped past them, then the fiery explosion as they reached black space. _Hopefully, this time we'll finally be off to a calm, relaxin' vacation. I could really use a decent nap_, Mal thought. _Then again, we now not only have one crazy on board, but possibly two. And that just makes vacations not go smooth.

* * *

_

Arden jolted awake by Serenity's violent lurch. He sat up, and immediately wished he hadn't. He retched and looked at his feet. Slowly, he brought his head up and looked around at the sparsely decorated passenger bunk. There were a few touches of homeliness, (unbeknownst to him, but thanks to a certain mechanic). A crude framed picture of a flower in a vase hung on the wall, and a flower-painted lamp sat on his bedside table. This certainly wasn't like the cold room Arden was forced into at Achilles.

Suddenly, the memory of the previous night hit him like a moving train. He had just met a whole flock of strangers who beat up the guard who punched him, and then they tossed him into a ship. The last thing he saw was the face of a beautiful girl. He had seen her before, but only in his dreams. Arden rubbed his face. _I'm safe now, I think. _He stood up slowly, made a note to clean up his mess later, and stepped onto the bridge. He looked around, and saw a girl in coveralls climbing up out of another bunk.

"Oh! You're awake! Did…you have a bit of an accident?" She nodded towards his shirt, which had bits still plastered to it.

"I, uh, where exactly am I?" Arden asked tentatively. He had every reason to be suspicious of everyone now after he met those guys with the blue gloves. Looks could be mighty deceiving, but he had a hard time not immediately trusting this girl. She just exuded a sort of warmth he couldn't quite put his finger on.

"Why, this here beauty is Serenity. She's the finest ship this side of the 'verse if I do say so myself. I'm Kaylee." Kaylee reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. "Come on, let's get you a fresh shirt."

She led him down into her bunk, where he saw a man hastily pulling a pair of pants on.

"Kaylee! What the--! Can you at least let me get some clothes on before you bring someone down here!" Kaylee giggled. She loved a flustered Simon. Added to his charm.

"I just need one of your shirts. Our new friend here seems to have made a mess of his." She tossed him a clean white t-shirt and climbed back up the ladder. "I need to make breakfast now. Although, I wouldn't mind at all if River made y'all dance the tango up on that table again." She smirked at Simon, who returned with an exasperated grin.

* * *

The crew surrounded the dining room table, chatting, yawning, and stretching. Kaylee was standing at the stove cooking. Simon and Arden entered the room, and everyone silenced. After a few seconds of awkwardness, Inara spoke up:

"Hey there. How are you feeling? You had quite an ordeal last night. Here, take a seat." She motioned for him to sit next to her.

Arden blushed as he sat down. She was breathtaking. Inara tended to have that effect on everyone.

"So, Arden, is it?" Mal brusquely. "Mind telling' us exactly why we followed the instructions of a crazy girl, nearly got our asses shot off, and dragged you out of a Fed-infested mental facility?" Inara shot him a _would-you-let-him-rutting-sit-down-first?_ look. He pretended he didn't see her and folded his arms across his chest.

Arden took a deep breath. "Well, my name is, uh, Arden—"

"Yeah, yeah, we gots that part boy. Just get to the meaty stuff so's we can get us some breakfast!" Jayne interjected none too gracefully. River tore her eyes from Arden and tossed a spoon at Jayne, hitting him smack in the forehead. Jayne made to stand up, but Kaylee punched him in the arm. He sat down and scowled at River. She poked her tongue out at him, making Jayne's scowl deepen.

"Acually it's Arden Nereus, but most just call me 'Ari'." Arden broke eye contact as a flood of emotion overcome him. It had been the most terrifying experience of his life, and here he was, standing. "I- well, thank you," he took another steadying breath. "Thank you so much for getting me out of that place. It was not…not what I had expected, that's for sure. I thought that I was going there to become a top pilot." Arden shook his head unbelievingly, "They said my talent mentioned by all of my teachers in grade school was just what they were looking for. I went in for what I thought was an aptitude test. The men, well, they were courteous enough, but when they strapped me into that chair I knew I wouldn't be getting out of that place anytime soon. Until you came." He turned to River and gave her a small, sincere smile.

The crew was silent. Some made faint gestures of nodding, while everyone else's faces were twisted in sympathy, especially the girls.

"So what planet you from, son?" Mal asked.

"Ariel. I lived in a small town called Lyn. My parents were both pilots and owned a shipping company. See, I was sent to the most prestigious school on Ariel and was recommended to apply for this "Academy" that I had never heard of. The scholarship possibilities were more than excellent. I wanted to be a pilot" He shook his head again in disbelief. _In the space of two weeks I was sent to a wacko school, and got busted out by a ragtag crew on some luh suh wreck my parents wouldn't even have touched. Oh, and I was somehow able to psychically contact some girl I had never even met before. What next?_

"Arden, if you don't mind me asking, what did they do to you when you were in there? Did they perform any kind of surgery? Because if they used any kind of implantations, shots, electro--" Simon stopped mid-question as he spotted River clutching the table, white knuckled and shaking, her eyes squeezed shut.

"Uh, Simon, perhaps less describin', 'kay?" Kaylee shot Simon a troubled look from across the table.

"I'm sorry, mei mei," he rushed behind her chair and rubbed River's arms.

"No, I'm fine. I want to hear," she breathed. Truth was, River already knew what Arden was going to say. He hadn't been tampered with at all. The tests were preliminary for deciding placement for students. He was supposed to be a stealth pilot in the Academy. His mind was racing now, searching for answers to questions he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to answer. He felt River's presence in his mind, and out of pure habit forced her out. River's face shot up at Arden. She looked at him with a mix of puzzlement and frustration. His mind was certainly stronger than everyone else she'd met except for a few students at the academy, and hers, or course. But she already knew he was psychic even before she saw him in person. How else could he have reached out to her so powerfully?

Arden faltered from the intrusion, and sat down quickly.

"If I may speak, which I haven't done much lately thanks to all you nonstop chatterheads, I think that maybe that's enough questions for this morning. I'm hungry!" Wash yelled from the infirmary. Zoe sighed and rolled her eyes to the crew before grabbing a plate and heading for her husband.

* * *

Arden sat in his quarters. He wasn't sure if he wanted to talk to anyone else from the crew right now, and everyone was now off doing their own things. He was very disorientated from the whole ordeal.

Just then, his door slid open, revealing a face framed by long, messy hair. River stepped into his room without a sound. Arden was still wondering why she walked around without any shoes; the gorram ship was an icebox. She sat next to him on his bed and gave him the strangest look. He wasn't sure if it was amusement or…well, he just wasn't sure. She tilted her head to the right and lifted her chin, looking down at him.

"Um, hi?" Arden offered.

"You blocked me."

"I what?"

"Shut me out. I'm thankful, though. You're an enigma." She smiled.

Arden shifted uncomfortably on the bed. He really wasn't what you would call a 'ladies man' back on Ariel despite his unmistakable attractiveness. His parents had sent him to an all-boys school. He had never been this close to a girl, and he could tell this one wasn't quite right in the head. _I really had to ask 'what next?', huh?_

"You read minds like me. But you have the power to control it. I cannot," she tapped her temple. "Did you know that?"

"Well, no, not really. I never really believed in psychics or anything like that until I was around thirteen or so. I began to hear things in my head, and wondered if I was crazy--"

River gave a hollow laugh.

"Well, uh," Arden stuttered. Seriously, this girl was giving him the major creeps. She kept staring at him oddly, or played with her foot. "I seem to be able to reach out to other people, hear some thoughts, and convey my own towards them. With my mind, you know?" He paused awkwardly.

"You can also shut people out. Closed door, but not locked. Many keys, but only one fits. My door is erratic."

_Okay…_

"But then you found me." Arden wanted to be making friends, here, not crazy enemies.

"No, you found _me_." River lifted her hand and ran it through his hair. She then stood up and flounced out the door, grinning. Behind her back, she could just see the confounded look on poor Arden's face as he ran his own hand through his hair.

She bumped into Simon in the hallway.

"River, what are you doing down here? Shouldn't you be flying this thing or something?" He peered over her shoulder to Arden's closed door to his room.

River turned her head slightly to the left and gave him a sly smile. "Leave the door open."

"River, what door?" But before he could say anything, she disappeared down the hallway. Simon stood for a second, then opened Arden's door. Arden was still sitting on his bed with a dumb look on his face. Simon didn't know exactly what made him do it, but he'd seen that look on Arden's face when River talked to other people before, and knew it could not have been good. Simon suddenly said, "You so much as touch her, so help me God, and my scalpel will mysteriously find itself stuck up your--"

"SIMON!" Kaylee stormed up to him and grabbed him roughly by the arm.

"Kaylee, what…?"

"Don't scare the poor boy! I'm sure he'n River was just talkin'! You threaten him again and you'll find yourself explainin' to the captain why my wrench is up your ass!"

Simon opened his mouth a few times like a fish out of water, and gave Arden a fleeting _what's-gotten-into-her?_ look before quietly walking off to check on Wash.

"Well, someone had to say 'ass'! You and your gorram manners, Simon!" Kaylee yelled after Simon. She turned to Arden and said, "I likes to keep my men in check, 's all, Ari." She winked and followed Simon.

_Day keeps getting better and better, _Arden thought.

* * *

"You know Mal, I'm sure he's a fine boy. You don't have to always assume every new crewmember is going to try and kill you in your sleep." Inara said.

"Well, considerin' our past little incidents, I'd say I have every right to assume. Let's go back to ol' Dobson. 'Member him? Shot Kaylee, called the Feds, and woulda shot me, too had he gotten the chance. Oh, and let's not forget our little Albatross, here. Scary as guay, that one is. Pulled a gun on me twice!"

"But we still trust her, Mal." Inara began to pour some tea as they sat in the kitchen.

"Yeah, sometimes not entirely sure why that is."

A silence filled the kitchen broken only by Inara's polite sips.

"Hey, you got any respectable clientele lined up on Newhall?"

Inara looked at him incredulously.

"Take that as a 'no', then. Well, uh, perhaps we can all go and, y'know, do some sight seein' when we reach Delmar." Mal scratched his head and glanced at Inara, who seemed to be struggling to find the right words.

"Yes, well, we could all do with a vacation, couldn't we?" Inara knew she added the 'all' simply to clear up any assumptions Mal might have misinterpreted with her answer. Sometimes she wished he would leave out the "we all's", too. Was it too much to ask for a 'you and I'?

Jayne and Zoe sat in the infirmary with Wash. Wash had been in the same bed for weeks now. The only time he got up was for sponge baths from Zoe, which he wished he had more of.

"I'm just curious what this Delmar place if like. Doesn't seem nearly as grand as Marina, but at least it's small, not a likely hangout for Feds," Zoe stroked Wash's hair gently.

"If they juggle anything, I'm out of there."

"Well, the cap'n suggested it, so's I guess he has somethin' relaxin' in mind." Jayne said thoughtfully. Unusually.

"'The captain suggested it'. Shouldn't that be a big, ruttin' red warning sign?"

"Honey, need I remind you of _your_ suggestion?"

"Just thought it would be a cultural experience…" Wash trailed off. He was still in comic denial about Canton, and every once in awhile tried to find his crappy town where he was a hero. He was convinced that somewhere, some small town had heard of his flying prowess and decided to devote themselves to his name. He suggested going to one of Athen's moons, which are indeed crappy.

* * *

River sat at the cockpit, as became the usual fashion while they weren't planetside. They'd be landing on Newhall late tonight or early morning. River wished for things to settle down. She didn't think she could handle more trouble after the hell everyone went through earlier. She picked up the careworn Bible and opened it. Arden was confusing. He didn't seem threatening or deceiving. Yet…he seemed something else to her. Having the ability to read minds doesn't reveal all, and River knew that.

She sighed and glanced down at Book's old Bible. In these yellowed pages River hoped to find a trace of his wisdom and guidance. Her mind wandered and she soon found herself looking at tiny blurred words. She placed it back on the console next to Wash's captive stegosaurus. River peered back outside at the black. Millions of stars winked and flickered at her. She turned off the lights, leaving only the blue glow of the consol illuminate the cockpit and cast it in an eerie light. To River's surprise, she felt warmth spread across her entire body, and she could almost swear she felt a gentle touch on her shoulder. Almost. She smiled softly and began to drift into a dreamless sleep.

End chapter 4.


End file.
